PNPC Senior Chief Petty Officer Kiran Rork - Backspacer
Martin Tucker
((Warrior Sports, Promenade, Commercial Sector, Beta Module))
Kiran: Listen, folks, we’ve got a job to do. It’s time to stay frosty and watch your teammates back. Most enemies don’t fight fair and don’t expect the Alliance to be any different. Remember your training, it will serve you well in the hours to come.
The commander played off what Kiran had said, adding his own words.
Raga: This isn’t a fight to the death. We’re not there yet. Our strength lies in each other. Never forget, we’re Ronin strong but it’s more than that. I mentioned it not long ago to our colleagues from our sister ship and the station’s CO. Today, we’re Starfleet strong.
Rork watched as the XO started pacing around the room, looking everyone in the eyes. It offered reassurance that he would fight as hard or harder for all of the crew present and the ones already manning their posts. Kiran took a look around the room himself, wrists crossed on the butt of his phaser rifle, which was slung over his front. The wide-eyed ensigns, more combat-ready officers, and NCOs were all waiting for the other shoe to drop.
If there was one thing he hated about missions, it was the waiting game. You must sit there after you get everything set up and all your bog beetles in a row. You’re a bit on edge, and there's no outlet. It leads to tension in the room, which ratchets up a few notches. And can make for a fidgety crew, he watched as some double-checked their gear, a bit of pacing, and someone always cracked jokes, all to bleed a little of the pressure off in the room.
For his part, Rork was listening to 21st-century earth music. He only had one earpiece in, so he could still pay attention to what was happening in the room.
Kiran: ::turning to T’Fearne and Valo:: You kids alright? Just remember your training. Oh, and remember center mass. ::he gave a devilish grin::
T’Fearne/Valo: RESPONSE
The command console chirped loudly, gaining the attention of the XO, so he all but ran to it.
Raga: Good news and bad news. Good news, Commander Stregis just sent a distress call and the Ronin and Khitomer have turned around and gone to warp. They’re on the way here.
Kiran: ::grumpily:: Great, they’re hours out if my math works right. I’m sure the commander will verify, but they’re a long way out. ::he gripped his phaser rife:: time to, what’s the saying?::smirking:: Lock and load?
T’Fearne/Valo: RESPONSE
Raga: It’ll take them several hours to get here at maximum warp. Until then we hold the station. Buy as much time for the civilians to evac. You can do this. As the Chief said, trust in your training and trust in each other.
Kiran: ::nodding:: Watch your six at all times; both races are sneaky bastards.
T’Fearne/Valo: RESPONSE
((Timeskip - Forty Minutes))
Raga: They’re late. It’s almost insulting.
Rork grunted, holding back a chuckle.
Kiran: If there’s one thing I hate, it’s tardiness..::a grin growing from the corners of his mouth::
A few million kilometers away, one after another, the Lattice Alliance starships dropped out of warp. The sleek angles of the Tholians and the boxy hulks of the Sheliak. Cruisers, frigates, a couple of corvettes, and so many smaller strike craft that it looked like dozens of new stars had just filled the sky. What was more worrisome was that, based on all the ship signatures, he didn’t see a single Juggernaut or Dreadnaught among them.
T’Fearne/Valo: RESPONSE
The enemy ships closed fast, and within minutes of their arrival, the station shook from incoming weapons fire. Disruptors and torpedoes slammed against her shields while the station's scant defenses fired back with mixed results. A resultant chorus of cheers erupted around the room from those present as Snowball’s pilots, the full arsenal of support craft from the Ronin and DS33 engaged the enemy. Danube, Volgas, Argos, Valkyries, Peregrines, Type 9s, 11s, and even 10s and a 7 went out to meet the enemy. Toryn also noted a handful of non-Starfleet vessels that must have had enough armaments to warrant their inclusion in defense rather than standing by for evac.
A handful of smaller Sheliak and Tholian ships broke through the picket line, and he had to stumble back from the attack's impact on the station. The lights flickered briefly, but the shields seemed to hold for the moment. Some of their own engaged five transports escorted by fighters, but two of them managed to get through the defending fighters and split up.
Raga: Damn, they’re not wasting time. =/\= All teams, enemy transports are inbound to docking ports one and two. Prepare to repel borders! =/\=
The XO immediately triggered a red alert so those in the Command Center would see that Raga had deployed the troops and was ready to defend the station down to the last man. Or there was also plan B, which included just blowing the whole thing up.
Kiran: ::clicking the safety off his rifle:: It’s go time kids...
T’Fearne/Valo: RESPONSE
Rork went over and stood near Raga, looking at the view screen, the sight was not pleasant.
Raga: Looks like the larger transport is heading for docking port 2, so that’s where we’re going. ::He looked back at the lone Kzinti in gold within the room:: Breeze, I need you.
Briza-Kar: Response
Rork hadn’t been introduced to the big Kzinti, but from what he’d heard around the security complex was that he was a damn fine officer and was very observant. Before the mission, he was still reviewing the jackets of the men and women he’d be working with.
Raga: You’re going to be our eyes. I keep hearing about how observant you are and we’ll need that. Let me know where the threats are boarding and moving to if they can’t lock them down quickly enough.
Briza-Kar: Response
The XO smiled at Breeze and then turned to Rork, T’Fearne, and Valo.
Kiran: After you Commander. ::he swept an arm towards the door.:::
T’Fearne/Valo: RESPONSE
Not a word was uttered from Raga as he sprang into action, with Rork hot on his tail. They were running towards the entrance on deck six of the main compartment.
By the time their group arrived, the sounds of heavy weapon fire could already be heard. Before he even reached the vestibule's port-side defenses, dozens of disruptor bolts peppered the wall opposite the doorway that a half-dozen security personnel had blocked off and used for cover.
Rork found cover in a doorway, and he kneeled down and started firing into the fray. He noticed the wounded being dragged off to the side and tended to by a corpsman. He leaned back and reached for a grenade on his belt, a tactical EMP that should shut down the Tholian's exosuites and expose them to the cooler temperature of Deep Space Thirty-Three, not to mention to shut down both the Sheliak and Tholian disruptors. He hesitated, looked back, and noticed they were inching close enough that the EMP would take out Starfleet weapons as well. He cursed under his breath, vowing to use the damn thing sooner rather than later.
Raga: We’ve got your backs! ::He announced to the defenders:: Keep them pinned and bottlenecked by the docking port.
Kiran: ::pointing to Valo:: Ensign, lay down a suppression fire over there::pointing off to the right of the bottle neck:: As for you ::looking at T’Fearne::Fire into that bottle neck,
Raga/T’Fearne/Valo/Briza-Kar: RESPONSE
Kiran popped up and fired more shots, nailing a Tholian square in the chest, even at full power it took more than one shot to take them down, more like three or four and he was pretty sure it was due to the exosuites they were wearing, to keep them in a habitable environment., As for the Sheliak, it was taking the same amount, they were hard to down.
That’s when he heard it, the shimmering of a transporter beam, coming from behind them. Rork turned as phaser fire almost took his head off, so he grabbed some deck. It seems that the Sheliak didn’t like the bottleneck and decided to do an end around. Tucker had taught him some of the nuances of football from the earth's long-dead past.
Kiran: ::to the XO:: Remind me to suggest transporter inhibitors next time. Also bad news, they’re coming up behind us now, via transporter. ::he fired a couple of shots taking down a Sheliak enforcer::
Raga/T’Fearne/Valo/Briza-Kar: RESPONSE
He fired at that oncoming Sheliak advance, knocking one down, with another to take his place. Gritting his teeth, he pulled a thermo-plastic grenade from his belt. It was shaped like a large pill capsule, red in color with a big red button in the center; pushing it, it started to beep. Not wanting to still be holding it when the beeping ends, he tossed it towards the advancing Sheliak from the rear.
It hit the deck plating with a plink!, and rolled to the feet of one of the Sheliak, The thing bent over and picked it up. Rork hit the deck, knowing what was coming next.
Next, there was a loud WOMP.
When the smoke cleared, four Sheliak were encased in red plastic from head to toe. They weren’t going anywhere. The other Sheliak took note and started to seek cover.
Kiran: ::to Raga:: Sir, I don’t know how much longer we can hold this line, with them pinching us. And I have a limited number of those grenades, but I have a few tactical EMPs. ::he took one off his belt and handed it to the Ronin’s XO: : Here, take this. Choose wisely.
Raga/T’Fearne/Valo/Briza-Kar: RESPONSE
TAGS/TBC!
